By HH Bir Krishna das Goswami – June 26, 2007
In my travels I have noticed many devotees suffering from the effects of emotional dependency or attempting to free themselves from emotional dependency. I am impelled by my desire/need to help devotees to write about this subject.
Emotional dependency can affect GBCs, Presidents, Gurus, brahmacaries, householders, disciples, authorities, preachers, husbands, wives, gurukulis, sannyasis, vanaprasthas, children, women, and just about everyone else.
The symptoms of emotional dependency differ from person to person and may include depression, anxiety, anger, backaches, headaches, heartaches, regressive traits, over dependence, violence, etc.
There are two basic categories of persons who are emotionally dependent in our society. One is the dominant authority figure, and the other is the person who is emotionally dependent upon the authority figure. Both types of personalities suffer due to this dynamic.
In addition one may be emotionally dependent upon an institution and the institutional paradigms may foster this understanding.
In a hierarchical institution there is a greater predominance of emotional bondage.
In a position of authority one assumes responsibility for persons under him/her in the hierarchy. This is a paternal situation. When the subordinate person does not live up to the authorities’ expectations, the authority experiences it as his personal failing in much the same way as a parent experiences the failures of the minor child. He feels like a complete failure.
Between the parent and minor child this dynamic may be useful for some time, but between two adults it leads to many mental and physical repercussions for the authority figure as well as the person who is being cared for.
In the beginning of the relationship the authority figure is fixed on the idea that he/she is responsible for the dependent’s emotional well being, spiritual well being, or material well being. When the dependent acts or thinks in a way that runs contrary to the authorities concept of “well being,” the authority may feel guilt (he feels that it is his fault), or the authority may get angry or manifest a variety of other emotions.
If the authority has dominion over multiple living entities and maintains his attitude that he is responsible in every which way (mostly for things completely outside of his control), the authority may eventually become exhausted and even sick because he is carrying the emotional burden of guilt and unhealthy caring.
The next stage for the authority may be what I call the rebellious stage in which the authority is absolutely rejecting all responsibility for the dependent and doesn’t even want to talk to the dependent.
The dependent also may go through various stages. Many people are very enthusiastic to enter into a relationship where they will be cared for in ways that only a child should be. It takes great strength of character to be independently thoughtful as Srila Prabhupada wanted us to be.
…Krishna Consciousness Movement is for training men to be independently thoughtful…Prabhupada’s Letter to: Karandhara — Bombay 22 December, 1972
Even though being cared for inappropriately may feel “warm and fuzzy” to one at first, ultimately it leads to dysfunctionality as one loses his self esteem and self confidence. In fact one may say that a vital part of his being atrophies.
Generally, though a dependent person is not satisfied with the care he is receiving, and may become more needy as time goes on. What may happen is that when these needs are not fulfilled the dependent person become despondent, or bitter and may reject the care of the caregiver and even consider the caregiver his enemy.
This is evidenced by the presence of many persons who are negative towards ISKCON and its authorities. Their negativity exceeds the boundaries of “normal” emotional functioning because of their extreme bitterness and disappointment with ISKCON as they were not cared for as the institution and its representatives implicitly promised.
Thus in the name of helping ISKCON they in fact may be venting their own emotional frustrations.
To deal with this challenge we need to clearly redefine the relationship between the authority figure and the dependent. The authority figure (or institution) should not implicitly or explicitly promise to fulfill all the needs of the person. Better to assume a position of facilitator; that is to help one understand how to fulfill his own needs by being an autonomous human being.
This may be a hard nut to crack, as one may think that the effective and efficient functioning of a religious society depends upon obedience. One may feel that if we take this stance, our society and the individuals in position may lose all their assets (people, money, etc).
My experience is the opposite however. When people are encouraged to develop their individuality and serve joyfully not because they have to, they function at a higher level of efficiency and because of their joyfulness more and more people will be attracted by their joyfulness to render voluntary service.
People will use their imagination more and come up with more and more dynamic ways to share Krishna consciousness with others.
There may be emotional objections too as some may be addicted to the adulation of followers, and the acquiring of more and more obsequious followers. Of course we do know that Lord Caitanya cautioned us about this in His Siksastaka.
A change of paradigm is required in order to achieve emotional freedom for all levels of society. When we undergo this change of paradigm it will be as if a great weight has been lifted from our shoulders. It will require a lot of strength though for people to take responsibility for their own lives and for the authorities to not succumb to various temptations to control people’s lives.
It is good to hear more refreshing topics dealing with the realities of our emotional well-being.
Independence of thought has always been a utopian concept for us. When and how to apply independent thought came with inevitable risks of saying something out of line with our perceived standard of Krsna consciousness philosophy. Much of what we as devotees say and discuss nowadays would have been strictly taboo even just a few years ago. This is not to say the shackles of rigid authority have snapped, but the need for intellectual freedom, the desire to express heartfelt concern for Srila Prabhupada’s Iskcon and his followers from whichever angle of vision – be it liberal or conservative – can only be a positive sign.
Many devotees who distanced themselves from Iskcon during these restrictive times still think today’s Iskcon is the Iskcon of yesteryear, as if in a time warp. Hopefully, by reading such informative subject matter as presented on this website – Dandavats, such devotees will notice the freedom of thought expressed.
Of course, this freedom does not entail the lowering of devotee standards in terms of criticism and the like, but to give positive input for the benefit of all. No matter whether a devotee is conservative or deemed liberal, both points of view serve to please Krsna who can reconcile all our differences. Even nitya-siddhas like Akrura, Krsna’s uncle, did not get along with King Ugrasena, but they served with equal relish to please their Lord.
In spite of our difference of opinions, Krsna still loves us, and we all love each other – don’t we.
Ys, Kesava Krsna dasa.
How can one reach to inner consciousness? How can one know knowledge about self? Is it possible to reach to inner self with any of the material actions, performing material duties and achieving material opulence? The answer is no. By reaching to any of the extreme that is related to material world one can not reach to supreme Lord Hari who is residing within. Thus neither one can become perfect in material duties that is related to material life, nor can one achieve all perfections in material actions that can bring every material success. Even one can not achieve extreme material opulence that could be end of all material achievements. In every history of material life no one could reach to the end of any of the material related activities to achieve supreme material goal. Thus to become supreme in material world not possible by anyway. But one can achieve supreme goal in spiritual world by getting mercy of supreme Lord Hari. To achieve that supreme goal one needs to be merciful and full of kindness in heart. One needs to remain thoughtful towards one’s inner self by practicing goodness in everyday life. In this way one can reach to the extreme of goodness and can reach to the supreme Lord who is embodiment of supreme goodness. That’s why time and again proved that one can achieve supreme goal that is mercy of Lord Hari but one can not reach to any supreme of material goal in life. That’s why it is always suggested, one Krsna Conscious devotee must try to understand that any material success that is too extreme is not achievable in this material world. Thus one must try to control all emotions that is related to material nature and should not try to dependent on other emotionally for material success. Krsna always favors emotional dependency on Him that is always spiritual in nature. This kind of dependency are about supreme spiritual knowledge and how to overcome material emotions in this material world, even becoming not too successful in material life. Once devotees completely understand that this complete Krsna Consciousness movement is for getting success in spiritual life that by controlling all material emotions which is always imposed by external potency of Lord through actions of Maya, then one devotee always look for the spiritual success that is reaching to Krsna and getting His mercy. Once one achieves that inner consciousness, one need not to depend emotionally on other. One can completely become free from material bondage of life with one’s spiritual knowledge and spiritual strength of Lord who is within. One can meet even Lord personally in the extreme end of goodness and can get His mercy. All glory to Lord Hari! Hare Krsna! Haribol!
It is a flaw of our human nature to lean on others and expect them to provide what we can not create for ourselves. This can sometimes be seen by devotees running to other spiritual societies and teachers; perhaps believing someone else’s spiritual strength will allow them to somehow sidestep their own following of regulative principles, and the austerity of chanting their rounds.
It might be constructive to promise less. Our books are filled descriptions of very high emotional states and realizations of bhakti, which may be unachievable for most people to experience, including many of the devotees. It is a danger of course, that people might leave or give up, if they conclude that they are not going back to Godhead in this lifetime, that perfection is a long way away, and that our process is not cheap.
Most psychosis is coming from our attempts to completely reprogram our long held belief systems, and the inevitable conflicts which arise within. Each of us is trying to untie the strong knot of attachment within the heart between man, woman, family, home, etc., and the dependence on them for happiness. There is also the conflicts created by duplicity – who we say we are, who we wish to be (our highest ideals), and who we are in fact.
This topic is a very complex one and which deals with the very heart of the relationships between devotees whether they are in a position of authority or subordinate or neither. There is a philosophical sloution to the problems written about by HH Bir Krsna Goswami. He writes:
Authorities should understand that Krishna is the controller. You do your duty and leave the results to the Lord. You cannot control how people will respond to your endeavors. So be spiritually intelligent and understand that Krishna is controlling how people react to you, they act in a way that is also controlled by Krishna. You cannot feel disturbed by emotions manifesting from the modes of nature when you understand that Krishna is controlling the entire situation.
The authority needs to be fixed in spiritual knowledge, if that is the case then there will be no emotional problems. It’s not that the dependence or the position of authority is causing the suffering, it’s the lack of spiritual vision which causes suffering. If we see everyone being guided by paramatma, then how can we be in anxiety over the way they act? They act the way Krishna guides them to act. We are not controlling the situation, we can’t control the situation, we never control any situation.
sarvasya caham hrdi sannivisto
mattah smrtir jnanam apohanam ca
I am seated in everyone’s heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness.
Everything we do is dependent on memory and knowledge. Anything we do we are being supplied the memory on how to do it. We know where we are, who we are, when we are, how to speak, how to comprehend language, etc. All of these things are supplied to us as memory, either consciously or subconsciously. Without memory being supplied to us at all times we would know nothing. This is because we have no ability to access memory. If we want to know where we are or what we did earlier we cannot look within our mind for a memory, there is nowhere to look. The memory is simply supplied to us. Likewise memory can be not given. Either way we cannot control memory because we don’t know how or where that information is stored nor how to access it. Krishna is in control of memory, memory is required to understand and use knowledge. So whatever we do or whatever anyone else does is completely controlled by Krishna because everything we do is based upon memory and knowledge, neither of which we have any control over. Understanding this we cannot be emotionally disrupted by anything that happens because we know we nor anyone else is in control. Everything is going on outside of our control.
sarva-bhuta-stham atmanam
sarva-bhutani catmani
iksate yoga-yuktatma
sarvatra sama-darsanah
yo mam pasyati sarvatra
sarvam ca mayi pasyati
tasyaham na pranasyami
sa ca me na pranasyati
A true yogi observes Me in all beings, and also sees every being in Me. Indeed, the self-realized man sees Me everywhere.
For one who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me, I am never lost, nor is he ever lost to Me.
It’s going to be impossible to be free from the relationships of dependence and authority within a yoga system where so much importance is given to the spiritual master and so much submissive inquiry is required on the followers part. For the relationships which are not between gurus and disciples all that is required is doing your duty and being Krishna conscious. If a society like ISKCON is going to ask people to surrender fulltime to the mission, then it is the duty of the leaders to see to it that their needs are met. A person who is commited to serving ISKCON fulltime can be independent or dependent. It depends on the person’s mental state and what they can offer . What is important for them is the same thing which is important for the authority figure. Transcendental knowledge is what makes everyone able to see clearly and act properly and retain the ability to be equiposed in trying conditions. Of course in such a large society as ISKCON and with such a varied level of spiritually conscious devotees, there is always going to be problems of one sort or another between devotees. The best you can do is become steady in the vision of seeing Krishna in control of everything and everyone, at least you will remain undisturbed.
Thank you, Maharaja Ji, for a well-written and very informative article. A voice direly missed. The understanding or lack thereof of the contents of this article has grand repercussions both on individual and collective level. The individual level has been amply covered in the article, even if the ramifications of this dysfunction in terms of evolving bhakti could no doubt be further explored.
In the broad scope of expanding Sri Caitanya’s mission, if there is a movement full of dysfunctional people, or even worse, an atmosphere forcing people into such a paradigm, it will both serve to attract more birds of the same feather, namely emotionally unbalanced individuals, as well as to alienate the more balanced section of people.
This in turn will effectively marginalize Krishna Consciousness and inflate its position as a religion to be taken seriously, not for its philosophy but for its people. And I should not say that in a future tense — time for change, people, for a thousand reasons, if you haven’t started yet.
Praghosa Das ACBSP: “The Root Cause of our Dissatisfaction”.
I would like to offer a comment on a recent subject that was introduced amongst the devotees by HH Bhir Krsna Goswami; what he called Emotional Freedom.
The basic premise of the article is established with the following statement:
“In my travels I have noticed many devotees suffering from the effects of emotional dependency or attempting to free themselves from emotional dependency.”
Emotional Dependency is a pseudo-scientific term provided by those who practice the modern Psychology/Psychiatry professions, to describe the consequences of one’s being dependent upon others for the fullfillment of particular desires and then later being dissapointed by those individuals in whom we had invested our faith or hope for the fullfillment of those desires. It is the atheistic definition of the “root cause of our dissatisfaction” in this material world and is meaningless for those who are actualy awakened to the actual cause of our problem in this regard.
Any effort to define or solve this problem – from the perspective of the mundane psycholgists and their miserable mentors – will never serve our long term spiritual interests. Their approach to all such problems lacks the full understanding of the actual cause of our problem. It is in fact rooted in the idea that a change in perception will in the end serve to change “our” reality. Even the term Emotional Dependence itself – cannot stand alone. It requires the professional defining it before the two words are able to make any sense at all. This itself proves the lack of clarity under which these “professionals” operate. Since an emotion is merely a “response” to a condition – all emotions are “dependent” upon conditions outside oneself before they manifest. I become angry or happy or sad or worried – in direct response to conditions either voluntarily pursued or involuntarily forced upon me. This being the case – our “emotional state” will be determined by our association – at all times. Emotions are never “free” of their dependence upon a condition. So the key is to invest our faith or “confidence in a future condition” correctly.
In this regard then the preface to the Nectar of Devotion by Srila Prabhupada provides the clearest explantion for our problem.
“The root cause of our dissatisfaction is that our dormant loving propensity has not been fulfilled despite our great advancement in the materialistic way of life.”
The soul is by nature “dependent” at every step of our sojourn in this world. Every need, real or imagined, depends upon someone or something outside of ourselves – providing us with the very thing(s) we requre to survive – what to speak of being satisfied! And they in turn, are only as capable of helping us in any way – in direct relation to the means they have been granted by God Himself – as well as their individual willingness to offer these resources in meeting our needs.
The solution to our problem does not involve becoming artificially independent. It lies in awakening to the fact that we are at every single second – 100% dependent upon the very source of our existence, the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna. In fact becoming satisfied is only possible – when we act upon this knowledge under the guidance of one who is fully satisfied with this most natural condition; our Spiritual Master.
The spiritual master is described in the Bhagavad Gita as being “situated in boundless transcendental happiness” and he does not “need” his disciples in order to validate this realized happiness. The Spiritual Master derives his happiness from his fully committing himself to representing the message of our Parampara – to anyone who will listen. He is not subject to depression or feelings of failure, on account of our refusing to listen. Srila Prabhupada once said “I am not surprised when someone leaves. Rather I am surprised – when they stay”.
I do not wish to contradict my Godbrother – yet I see it as imperative that this idea he has introduced be given a deeper consideration.
As our Krsna Consciousness increases – we will find our condition of absolute dependence upon both the Lord and His greatest treasure, His dear devotees, increasing; not diminishing. To the devotees – such a condition serves to increase more and more our attachment to each and every detail of our service.
Srila Bhaktsiddhanta Saraswati Thakur said that the bonafide spiritual master will actually take inspiration from the so-called disciples by observing their sincere efforts to accept and serve his instructions and in the process will experience genuine attachment and dependence upon their inspiring association.
This will be the effect felt by all devotees in all kinds of “relationships”. If the example given is of ever increasing devotional attachment to the Lord – then the feelings of attachment and dependence amongst the various devotees for one another – will in fact increase more and more. We need look no further than the congregational kirtan for proof of this! Where the devotees are happily dependent upon eachother in their mutual efforts to please Srila Prabhupada and Krsna – the kirtan will reflect this in a way that mundane psychologists could never ever fathom! In the pursuit of all the aims of Srila Prabhupada – in his continued efforts to rescue as many souls as possible from the “killing fields” of this martyaloka – we will come to value each and every man or woman who surrenders their maximum effort in helping us – help Srila Prabhupada. When we then chant together in the Divine Kirtan of Lord Gauranga
– and look to the faces of all those with whom we work to please His Divine Grace – we will experience feelings of attachment, appreciation, dependence, gratitude, awe and veneration, and above all else – real love – that mundane psychologists can only dream of – in the vaguest of ways.
Without hearing from the pure devotees, materialisitic psychologists cannot understand the truth in these matters nor the proper method to transcend the problem. They are simply blind men leading similarly blind men with the end result being that they all fall into the ditch of dissatisfaction. Without hearing from Srila Prabhupada via his Nectar of Devotion – these materialistic psychologists will be “missing the point of life”. Their solution is merely an attempt to minimize the pain and suffering that come as a consequence to our misplacing our loving propensity. But we are not after minimizing the suffering – we are after finishing it altogether.
If we properly represent Srila Prabhupada, then anyone’s coming to the International Society for Krsna Consciousness should be seen correctly as the first step in their finally solving this most vexing of problems. We must maintain a keen critical eye at all times in order to assess the quality of our representation of Srila Prabhupada in this matter. Where it appears to be lacking – we need to hear from one another in such a way that we can quickly adjust our efforts to reflect our Spiritual Master’s arrangements to easily meet the needs of the entire world as they make full use of their human form or life on their way back to home back to Godhead. The management of Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON must never become critical of the above mentioned “keen critical eye” of the assembled devotees. On the contrary – we should not only invite such “critical” assessment but indeed provide the assembled concerned servants of Srila Prabhupada with the means to express their concerns. In the long run – this will only serve to enhance the service of Srila Prabhupada more and more. That is most wanted. To view devotees who openly express an honest assessement of actions or inactions on the part of various representatives of ISKCON as doing so merely due to unfulfilled emotional dependency – misses the mark considerably. Any competent Mayor of any nicely managed city – sets up various hotlines to allow the public to offer their thoughts, ideas, criticisms, suggestions etc – in order to enhance the quality of life in that city.
Here in New York – we find this statement everywhere; “If you see something – say something”. The idea being of course that our protection involves all of us helping in this regard.
So, I deem it unwise to carte blanche, minimize expressions of dissatisfaction on the part of any devotee for missmanagement or perceived misrepresentation of Srila Prabhupada’s aims or means to achieve them – as mere manifestations of unfulfilled desires only. In baseball – teams often employ a “hitting coach” whose job it is to discover the flaws in a batter’s actions – that prevent him from meeting his maximum potential while facing the pitcher. Oft times – a competent hitter suddenly finds himself in a “slump” and what used to be easy for him, now appears more difficult than ever. The “hitting coach” may in the most direct and unvarnished manner – point out exactly what the player is doing – or perhaps even thinking – that now interferes with his hitting with his former effectivness. It would make no sense for the hitter to dismiss the “criticisms” of this expert, whose very advice could provide the difference needed to restore or transform the hitter’s ability to overpower the piticher send the ball where he wills it. I would advise all leaders in ISKCON to embrace analysis of their actions (or inactions) in this way. When such analysis is accurate – it will serve the cause of Srila Prabhupada; and that cannot be anything but wanted.
I would agree with HH Bhir Krsna Goswami that Srila Prabhupada did in fact work to create independently minded men and women, fixed up in the standard process of Krsna Consciousness. Anything that would impede this – puts the local effort to do just that – at variance with the efforts of Srila Prabhupada. However – the uniqueness of Krsna Consciousness is that while it creates men who are each capable of generating the atmosphere of Krsna Consciousness – they always represent this atmosphere as a direct consequence of following, with an attitude of absolute dependence the simple instructions of our Spiritual Master His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada as they are contained in his books and even more importantly – in his Directives.
When we associate with those who help us realize our true identity – we will progress towards permanent happiness. When we associate with those who we hope will support our imagined role as enjoyer – we will value their company only so long as they serve our dream as enjoyer. But as soon as it is clear that they share our illusory dream as “the enjoyer” and in fact were really seeking our validation of their dream more than they pretended to support our own – BINGO – we are dissatisfied. The key is to embrace the goals of our spiritual master and Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu – and in the process of meeting Their goals for us all – we will develop real loving relationships with our wives, husbands, children, friends, spiritual mentors, etc – that are “rooted” in the real cause of our “satisfaction” as opposed to the “root cause of our dissatisfaction”.
The following is an excerpt from the powerful preface of the Nectar of Devotion by His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada. It elucidates the vital essence or principle upon which the Krsna Consciousness Movement is firmly established. I invite everyone to carefully read it and delight in its comprehensive explantion of our dilemma and the simple universal solution provided us by Lord Krsna, and explained so sweetly by our Srila Prabhupada.
Bhakti means “devotional service.” Every service has some attractive feature which drives the servitor progressively on and on. Every one of us within this world is perpetually engaged in some sort of service, and the impetus for such service is the pleasure we derive from it. Driven by affection for his wife and children, a family man works day and night. A philanthropist works in the same way for love of the greater family, and a nationalist for the cause of his country and countrymen. That force which drives the philanthropist, the householder and the nationalist is called rasa, or a kind of mellow (relationship) whose taste is very sweet. Bhakti-rasa is a mellow different from the ordinary rasa enjoyed by mundane workers. Mundane workers labor very hard day and night in order to relish a certain kind of rasa which is understood as sense gratification. The relish or taste of the mundane rasa does not long endure, and therefore mundane workers are always apt to change their position of enjoyment. A businessman is not satisfied by working the whole week; therefore, wanting a change for the weekend, he goes to a place where he tries to forget his business activities. Then, after the weekend is spent in forgetfulness, he again changes his position and resumes his actual business activities. Material engagement means accepting a particular status for some time and then changing it. This position of changing back and forth is technically known as bhoga-tyaga, which means a position of alternating sense enjoyment and renunciation. A living entity cannot steadily remain either in sense enjoyment or in renunciation. Change is going on perpetually, and we cannot be happy in either state, because of our eternal constitutional position. Sense gratification does not endure for long, and it is therefore called capala-sukha, or flickering happiness. For example, an ordinary family man who works very hard day and night and is successful in giving comforts to the members of his family thereby relishes a kind of mellow, but his whole advancement of material happiness immediately terminates along with his body as soon as his life is over. Death is therefore taken as the representative of God for the atheistic class of men. The devotee realizes the presence of God by devotional service, whereas the atheist realizes the presence of God in the shape of death. At death everything is finished, and one has to begin a new chapter of life in a new situation, perhaps higher or lower than the last one. In any field of activity–political, social, national or international–the result of our actions will be finished with the end of life. That is sure.
Bhakti-rasa, however, the mellow relished in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, does not finish with the end of life. It continues perpetually and is therefore called amrta, that which does not die but exists eternally. This is confirmed in all Vedic literatures. Bhagavad-gita says that a little advancement in bhakti-rasa can save the devotee from the greatest danger- -that of missing the opportunity for human life. The rasas derived from our feelings in social life, in family life or in the greater family life of altruism, philanthropy, nationalism, socialism, communism, etc., do not guarantee that one’s next life will be as a human being. We prepare our next life by our actual activities in the present life. A living entity is offered a particular type of body as a result of his action in the present body. These activities are taken into account by a superior authority known as daiva, or the authority of God. This daiva is explained in Bhagavad-gita as the prime cause of everything, and in Srimad-Bhagavatam it is stated that a man takes his next body by daiva-netrena, which means by the supervision of the authority of the Supreme. In an ordinary sense, daiva is explained as forms; the choice does not depend on our selection, but is awarded to us according to our destiny. If our body at present is engaged in the activities of Krsna consciousness, then it is guaranteed that we will have at least a human body in our next life. A human being engaged in Krsna consciousness, even if unable to complete the course of bhakti-yoga, takes birth in the higher divisions of human society so that he can automatically further his advancement in Krsna consciousness. Therefore, all bona fide activities in Krsna consciousness are amrta, or permanent. This is the subject matter of The Nectar of Devotion.
This eternal engagement in bhakti-rasa can be understood by a serious student upon studying The Nectar of Devotion. Adoption of bhakti-rasa, or Krsna consciousness, will immediately bring one to an auspicious life free from anxieties and will bless one with transcendental existence, thus minimizing the value of liberation. Bhakti-rasa itself is sufficient to produce a feeling of liberation, because it attracts the attention of the Supreme Lord, Krsna. Generally, neophyte devotees are anxious to see Krsna, or God, but God cannot be seen or known by our present materially blunt senses. The process of devotional service as it is recommended in The Nectar of Devotion will gradually elevate one from the material condition of life to the spiritual status, wherein the devotee becomes purified of all designations. The senses can then become uncontaminated, being constantly in touch with bhakti-rasa. When the purified senses are employed in the service of the Lord, one becomes situated in bhakti- rasa life, and any action performed for the satisfaction of Krsna in this transcendental bhakti-rasa stage of life can be relished perpetually. When one is thus engaged in devotional service, all varieties of rasas, or mellows, turn into eternity. In the beginning one is trained according to the principles of regulation under the guidance of the acarya, or spiritual master, and gradually, when one is elevated, devotional service becomes automatic and spontaneous eagerness to serve Krsna. There are twelve kinds of rasas, as will be explained in this book, and by renovating our relationship with Krsna in five primary rasas we can live eternally in full knowledge and bliss.
The basic principle of the living condition is that we have a general propensity to love someone. No one can live without loving someone else. This propensity is present in every living being. Even an animal like a tiger has this loving propensity at least in a dormant stage, and it is certainly present in the human beings. The missing point, however, is where to repose our love so that everyone can become happy. At the present moment the human society teaches one to love his country or family or his personal self, but there is no information where to repose the loving propensity so that everyone can become happy. That missing point is Krsna, and The Nectar of Devotion teaches us how to stimulate our original love for Krsna and how to be situated in that position where we can enjoy our blissful life. In the primary stage a child loves his parents, then his brothers and sisters, and as he daily grows up he begins to love his family, society, community, country, nation, or even the whole human society. But the loving propensity is not satisfied even by loving all human society; that loving propensity remains imperfectly fulfilled until we know who is the supreme beloved. Our love can be fully satisfied only when it is reposed in Krsna. This theme is the sum and substance of The Nectar of Devotion, which teaches us how to love Krsna in five different transcendental mellows.
Our loving propensity expands just as a vibration of light or air expands, but we do not know where it ends. The Nectar of Devotion teaches us the science of loving every one of the living entities perfectly by the easy method of loving Krsna. We have failed to create peace and harmony in human society, even by such great attempts as the United Nations, because we do not know the right method. The method is very simple, but one has to understand it with a cool head. The Nectar of Devotion teaches all men how to perform the simple and natural method of loving Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If we learn how to love Krsna, then it is very easy to immediately and simultaneously love every living being. It is like pouring water on the root of a tree or supplying food to one’s stomach. The method of pouring water on the root of a tree or supplying foodstuffs to the stomach is universally scientific and practical, as every one of us has experienced. Everyone knows well that when we eat something, or in other words, when we put foodstuffs in the stomach, the energy created by such action is immediately distributed throughout the whole body. Similarly, when we pour water on the root, the energy thus created is immediately distributed throughout the entirety of even the largest tree. It is not possibleto water the tree part by part, nor is it possible to feed the different parts of the body separately. The Nectar of Devotion will teach us how to turn the one switch that will immediately brighten everything, everywhere. One who does not know this method is missing the point of life.
As far as material necessities are concerned, the human civilization at the present moment is very much advanced in living comfortably, but still we are not happy, because we are missing the point. The material comforts of life alone are not sufficient to make us happy. The vivid example is America: the richest nation of the world, having all facilities for material comfort, is producing a class of men completely confused and frustrated in life. I am appealing herewith to such confused men to learn the art of devotional service as directed in The Nectar of Devotion, and I am sure that the fire of material existence burning within their hearts will be immediately extinguished. The root cause of our dissatisfaction is that our dormant loving propensity has not been fulfilled despite our great advancement in the materialistic way of life. The Nectar of Devotion will give us practical hints how we can live in this material world perfectly engaged in devotional service and thus fulfill all our desires in this life and the next. The Nectar of Devotion is not presented to condemn any way of materialistic life, but the attempt is to give information to religionists, philosophers and people in general how to love Krsna. One may live without material discomfiture, but at the same time he should learn the art of loving Krsna. At the present moment we are inventing so many ways to utilize our propensity to love, but factually we are missing the real point: Krsna. We are watering all parts of the tree, but missing the tree’s root. We are trying to keep our body fit by all means, but we are neglecting to supply foodstuffs to the stomach. Missing Krsna means missing one’s self also. Real self-realization and realization of Krsna go together simultaneously. For example, seeing oneself in the morning means seeing the sunrise also; without seeing the sunshine no one can see himself. Similarly, unless one has realized Krsna there is no question of self-realization.
The Nectar of Devotion is specifically presented for persons who are now engaged in the Krsna consciousness movement. I beg to offer my sincere thanks to all my friends and disciples who are helping me to push forward the Krsna consciousness movement in the Western countries, and I beg to acknowledge, with thanks, the contribution made by my beloved disciple Sriman Jayananda brahmacari. My thanks are due as well to the directors of ISKCON Press, who have taken so much care in publishing this great literature. Hare Krsna.”
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Praghosa Das – NYC
pdhedemark@yahoo.com
Long, but right on, Praghosa Prabhu!
Dear Bir Krsna Maharajah; AGTSP. PAMHO
I have heard that you are concerned about hearing loss occurring due to loud kirtana?I would like to offer some assistance in this regards. I hold a masters degree in audiology, and have been in practise for some 17 years now.
To accurately and meaningfully measure sound levels in a kirtana, one needs a dosimeter, not a sound level meter. Sound levels will fluctuate, so the peak readings given by a SLM will not indicate the actual noise exposure over time. A dosimeter will, and is specifically designed for this sort of task. Further, ninety dB is the level used by some industrial audiologists to establish a cut-off point, such that work sites where this level is the usual, require use of ear protectors if you are going to be in the noise for long periods. A short exposure of an hour os so should have no effects. Resting between exposures will have the effect of restoring normal fear unctions. However, repeat exposure to higher levels of noise can cause a permanent hearing loss.
More potentially damaging in kirtana are the percussive drum beats, which can cause instant hearing loss by damaging hair cells in the cochlea. Agricultural cannons and firearms have a similar percussive effect. Of course, karatalas in unison also can add up to a potentially damaging noise level.
Use of musician’s earplugs ,which do not distort soundbalance while reducing overall loudness, may be acquired , if anyone has cause for worry. While wearing these, your hearing will still be able to hear all, just more quietly, such that you could stay in a loud kirtana for double or triple the usual time allowance, without incurring any damage.
Some pople are more subject to noise exposure damage than others. Persons with blue and green eyes are especially subject to noise exposure hearing losses.
I myself have experienced a degree of high-frequncy hearing loss due to noise exposure, but on the other hand, I myself do not mind. Seems to me that Mahaprabhu had kirtanas with several drummers at once, and I feel quite content with this arrangement. The drums are too good to miss!
The amazing thing to me is the wide range of stimuli which the soul can receive from these bodies. HKHR